the sore spot (or yes, I am writing about massage again!)

I suffer from back and shoulder problems. That is where I carry all my tension. And this is how I deal with it.

I ignore it. And ignore it. And ignore it.

Until the pain gets to the point where I can’t ignore it any more. So, eventually, I give in and go to the physio and get it worked on.

The thing about a physio is that they actively seek out the sore spots. Those spots that are giving you particular pain, and then they push on them.

They know that they need to work on those points, to allow the tension to release, and the muscles to unknot, and the pain to ease. But while you are lying there on the bed and they are pressing on those sore points all you can think is, “this hurts worse than before”.

Do you have those things in your life? Those sore spots you have been ignoring and hope will just go away? Is that working for you?

I do the same too, I think that if I ignore something for long enough it will disappear.

The other thing a physio is really great at doing is locating the source of the pain.

Sometimes I go to the physio thinking the tension is in my neck, but as she works she finds a spot on my back that makes me flinch. She has located the source of the pain and it is not where I thought it was.

This referred pain, hides the real problem at the source. And as she works on that point and massages it out, I feel the tension release in other places. A domino effect of muscle release, if you will.

What about you, do you have referred pain? Do you react when someone’s name is mentioned, but actually the underlying trigger point is unforgiveness? Do you avoid deeper connection? When actually the underlying trigger is fear?

Because, just as physical pain is a reminder to us that we need to go the physio and get our muscles worked on, our emotional reactions show underlying pain in the depths of our soul.

And I am slowly learning that actually those sore spots won’t move, unless I press on them, to allow the pain and tension to release. Those sore spots won’t move unless I take the time and effort to massage them out so that there is no residual tightness left. I am learning that referred pain often hides a deeper issue.

I am learning that sometimes subjecting myself to the hands of a healer is necessary for the pain to be located, worked out and disappear. And while it yields me more pain to start with, the end benefit is a freer and lighter body and soul.

I know when I walk out of the physio I feel so much better than when I walked in. So no matter whether the pain is emotional or physical I think that yielding to the healer is worth it.